In The Atlantic Cities, Eric Jaffe writes about New York videographer Rebecca Davis, who started taking photos of fellow subway passengers with her iPhone. Working in the tradition of Walker Evans, whose surreptitious photos of subway riders in the 1930s was published in the book Many Are Called, Davis documented the private moments all around her. “It’s a very public space, but you find people having domestic disputes on their cell phone, or cutting their nails, as if no one’s around them,” she says. “I think a lot is New Yorkers are so used to living in these cramped spaces that we get good at ignoring everyone around us, so people feel they have the liberty to act as if they are in a private space even when they’re out in public.” Link to full story in The Atlantic Cities.

About the editor

Susan Bregman is editor of The Transit Wire. She is a consultant with a focus on transit policy and planning and previously worked for the Boston Transportation Department. In 2004 she founded Oak Square Resources, LLC, which focuses on transit research, policy, and social media.